Cashmere combing machine

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for the removal of hair from an animal. The apparatus includes a driven comb unit for collecting the hair and a housing for the comb within which the comb unit is arranged to be driven. The housing has an inlet which exposes the comb unit so that it can be moved through the hair of the animal, an outlet for the discharge of hair collected from the animal and an arrangement permitting connection of the outlet to a suction part. 
     The comb unit comprises at least one comb which in turn comprises a comb spine to which are attached a plurality of fingers which are each tapered convergently towards tips thereof. Each finger being bent part way along its length. Each comb is mounted on a rotatable hub member in such way that each comb is substantially freely pivotally displaceable through an arc of movement for all rotary positions of the hub member. The suction part is arranged to cause a flow of air past each comb after it has been moved through the hair of the animal to remove therefrom any hair collected by it.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for removal of hairfrom animals.

BACKGROUND ART

An important application of this invention is its use in the collectionof cashmere. Cashmere is the fine diameter, non-medullated, wool-likefibres, varying in length from 2.5 to 9 cms which occur in the undercoatof goats.

The process of harvesting cashmere comprises collection of the cashmerefibres at a time when the goat is shedding them, so that the process ismore one of separating the fine shedding hair from coarser hair in thegoat's coat using a combing process, rather than one of cutting thefibres, or pulling them out from the follicles.

All the world's production of cashmere is currently hand-combed, andthis manual process takes about 30 minutes per goat. Since goat-hair isusually matted and tangled, this manual procedure is verytime-consuming, tedious and physically demanding, and results in arelatively expensive product.

This invention may also be used to facilitate the removal of wool fromsheep which have been treated especially to enable such removal. Priorart sheep shearing techniques are labour intensive and it is desirableto reduce the labour cost of sheep shearing.

For the purposes of this specification "hair" is to be taken to mean anyslender threadlike outgrowth of the epidermis of an animal and includesfur, fleece etc.

The present invention therefore seeks to provide an improved method ofand apparatus for removal of hair from animals.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is providedapparatus for the removal of hair from an animal comprising driven combmeans for collecting the hair and a housing for the comb means andwithin which the comb means is arranged to be driven, the housing havingan inlet which exposes the comb means so that it can be moved throughthe hair of the animal, an outlet for the discharge of hair collectedfrom the animal and means permitting connection of the outlet to asuction means so that when in use the suction means creates an air flowwhich is applied to the collected hair to facilitate its removal fromthe comb means; characterised in that the comb means comprises at leastone comb which in turn comprises a comb spine to which is attached aplurality of fingers which are each tapered convergently towards tipsthereof, each finger being bent part way along its length such that inuse the tip of each finger is inclined in the direction of travel of thecomb through the hair of the animal.

Preferably, the or each said comb is mounted on a rotatable hub memberwith the spine of each comb disposed substantially parallel to the axisof rotation of the hub member, the suction means being arranged to causea flow of air past the or each said comb after it has been moved throughthe hair of the animal, to remove therefrom any hair collected by it.

Preferably, the apparatus is arranged so that centrifugal forces act onthe collected hair assisting in its removal from the comb or combs.

Two such combs may be used in the apparatus and to secure them to thehub member each comb may be attached to a shelf plate which is in turnpivotally mounted to the rotatable hub, with the axis of rotation ofeach shelf plate about its respective pivotal mounting beingsubstantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the hub. Alternativelythe combs may be pivotally mounted to the rotatable hub and the shelfplates may be attached to the combs.

Preferably, the rotatable hub member is driven by an electric motor orthe like located within the rotatable hub member or elsewhere on theapparatus. Alternatively, however, power to drive the hub may beobtained from any suitable remote source and transmitted to theapparatus, via a flexible rotary drive connection.

The tips of the comb fingers are preferably bent at an angle ofsubstantially 30° to the original axis, though other angles of bendingalso may be used. Further, the hub member is preferably configured sothat normally the tips pass through the hair on the animal being combedat an angle of about 15° to a line normal to the direction of motion ofthe comb, in the leading sense.

Preferably, the suction means is a suction device such as a vacuumcleaner arranged to provide the required suction to cause the flow ofair past the combs to remove the collected hair.

Preferably, circular side plates are secured to the rotatable hub memberin a spaced apart parallel coaxial relation and disposed in planesnormal to the axis of rotation of the hub and on either side of thecombs, and assembly pieces are arranged to extend around the rotatablehub and are secured thereto between respective combs. In thisconfiguration, the combs or shelf plates may be pivotally mounted to theside plates at points immediately adjacent to the rotatable hub.

Preferably the apparatus housing is arranged to totally enclose therotatable hub and the combs, shelf plates and side plates associatedtherewith, except for an opening in the front of the housing and saidconnection means or manifold for the connection of said suction means.Said housing and said shelf plates are preferably arranged to provide areduced cross section air path for the flow of air past each comb toremove the hair therefrom. Also, an adjustable face plate may be securedto the apparatus housing to allow control of the depth of penetration ofthe combs into the animal's coat.

The hub may be rotated at speeds between 1500 and 2000 rpm but a speedof about 1800 rpm is preferred.

Weights may be fixed to the shelf plates to increase the centrifugalforces acting on the comb assemblies and thereby allowing a reduction inthe speed of rotation of the hub necessary to achieve satisfactorycombing.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided anapparatus for the removal of hair from an animal comprising driven combmeans for collecting the hair and a housing for the comb means andwithin which the comb means is arranged to be driven, the housing havingan inlet which exposes the comb means so that it can be moved throughthe hair of the animal, an outlet for the discharge of hair collectedfrom the animal, and means permitting connection of the outlet to asuction means so that when in use the suction means creates an air flowwhich is applied to the collected hair to facilitate its removal fromthe comb means; characterised in that the comb means comprises at leastone comb in turn comprising a spine and a plurality of comb fingers, thecomb or combs being mounted on means to impart continuous closed-looprotary movement of the comb or combs about an axis, the spine of the oreach comb being located generally parallel to the axis of the movement,the suction means being arranged to cause a flow of air past the or eachsaid comb after it has been moved through the hair of the animal toremove therefrom any hair collected thereon.

Preferably the comb fingers are tapered convergently towards tipsthereof and each finger is bent part way along its length so that in usethe tip of each finger is inclined in the direction of the travel of thecomb through the hair of the animal.

Preferably the means to provide the continuous closed-loop rotarymovement about an axis comprises a rotatable hub member to which thecombs are fixed.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided amethod of collection of hair from an animal using the apparatus asdescribed above, comprising moving the driven comb means in relation tothe hair on the animal to collect the hair thereon, and applying suctionmeans to remove the collected hair from the comb means and housing.

Preferably, when the method is used for collection of cashmere, theopening at the front of the housing is held against the goat's coat atthe top of its back and near the goat's spine, whence the apparatus ismoved vertically downward as far as possible, while maintainingengagement of the housing with the goat's coat. The machine is thenraised to the level of the spine again and the process is repeated.

The method may be used in collection of wool from sheep, where theanimal is specially treated to create a weak point in the wool fibresclose to the sheep's skin, thus allowing the combing out of the woolaccording to the above method.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

A preferred form of the invention will now be described with referenceto the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cashmere combing machine embodying theinvention,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of part of a rotatable hub member includedin the machine of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the machine of FIG. 1 taken from adifferent angle, and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a portion of the machine of FIG. 1 takenin a plane normal to the axis of rotation of the rotatable hub.

BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows the general configuration of the cashmere combing machineembodying the invention and which shows a housing 10 within which ismounted a rotatable hub member supporting two pivotally mounted combs(not shown). Manifold 11 is arranged for connection to a vacuum cleaneror the like to cause a flow of air past the combs after each movedthrough the coat of the animal being combed to remove therefrom the haircollected. An electric motor is mounted within casing 12 and is arrangedto drive the rotatable hub within housing 10. An adjustable face plate17 is fitted to the front of the machine with threaded bolts andwingnuts 18. The face plate is provided with opening 19 through whichthe combs may move during use of the machine. Handles 13 and 16 areprovided for use by the operator to control the machine while triggerswitch 14 is used to operate the electric motor. A support ring 15 onhandle 16 is provided to take the bulk of the weight of the machineleaving the operator having merely to move the machine about as requiredwithout having to support the weight of the machine.

FIG. 2 shows two combs 20 respectively secured to comb spines 24. Bolts21 are used to attach self plates 22 to the two combs 20 respectively.Circular side plates 30 (only one of which is shown) are secured torotatable hub 23 in spaced-apart, coaxial parallel relation in planesnormal to the axis of rotation of the hub, and on either side of thecombs. The comb spines 24 are pivotally secured to these side plates bylocating end portions of the spines into holes (not shown) provided inthe side plates.

Assembly pieces 25 are located and secured between the side plates andbetween the comb assemblies, using rods 26. These pieces are importantelements of the apparatus since they prevent hair wrapping around therotatable hub.

In FIG. 3, a belt drive cover plate is removed to show the mechanicalconnection via belt 28 between electric motor 27 and the input shaft 29which gear drives an output shaft on which rotatable hub 30 is mounted.

FIG. 4 shows apparatus housing 10, which is provided with means tosupport rotatable hub 30, and which fully encloses the rotatingcomb/side plate assembly except for an opening 31 at the "front"thereof, which opening is moved over the coat of the animal being combedduring the combing process. The housing is fitted with adjustable faceplate 17 the "face" of which may be positioned at varying distances fromthe housing to adjust the depth of penetration of the combs into thecoat of the animal being combed, and as indicated by arrow 36. Theposition of the face plate is set using wing nuts 18 shown in FIG. 1. Atthe rear of the housing a suction application manifold 32 provides thepath for the hair removed from the combs by the flow of air across thecombs caused by the application of the suction.

In the operation of the device, the rotation of hub 30 generatescentrifugal forces on the comb/shelf plate assemblies, that is they aresubject to forces pulling them radially away from the axis of rotationof hub 30. When the front of the apparatus is brought into contact withthe hair of the animal, the fingers of the combs commence combingthrough that hair. The rotatable hub 30 is designed to be rotated in thedirection indicated by arrow 33. As each comb passes through the hair,the pivotal securing arrangement of the comb/shelf plate assembliesallows the combs to fold back if either is caught in a knot in the hair,or if the whole apparatus is pushed too far into the animal's coat, thenegative rake presented by the combs in the folded back positionallowing the combs to harmlessly slide out of knots and over theanimals's skin.

Once each comb has completed a pass across the opening 31 and throughthe hair, a flow of air created by the suction applied via manifold 32is directed past the comb in the direction of arrow 34. This air flowlifts the collected hair from the comb and carries it away throughmanifold 32 to an appropriate storage area. The cycle is a continuousone with each comb repeatedly undergoing collection and suction removalphases.

The location of the manifold 32 with respect to the position of theopening 31 is important to the creation of the good suction effectsrequired by the device at both the time the combs each pass through thehair of the animal and at the time when the hair is being sucked fromthe combs. The correct relative positioning of the these componentsprevents, to a considerable extent, the loss of suction effect throughundesirable "leakage" of air into the housing via alternate routes.

Thus the manifold is located so that as one comb is in the latter stageof its passage through the hair on the animal, the other is to a largeextent blocking the alternative air passage between the opening 31 andthe manifold 32. This alternative air passage is illustrated as air path35 in FIG. 4.

Similarly, as each comb which is "loaded" with collected hair approachesthe manifold, the suction on the comb applied via the manifold ismaintained relatively strong by the blocking of the air path 35 by theother comb of the device, and its associated shelf plate. This suctionat this stage has the effect of loosening the hair prior to its removalonce the comb is at or near the manifold 32.

Particular reference is made to the shape of the "fingers" of combs 20.To prevent jamming of the hair between the fingers of the combs, thefingers are bent part way along their length at a predetermined angle.This bending provides a "hook" effect which traps the hair at the bendin the hook, and so prevents it passing between the fingers at theirroots (i.e. the point where they are secured to the "shelf" plate) andjamming there. Also, each finger is tapered at the end closer to thetip. The tapering begins at the bend and the fingers are finer towardsthe tips. The tapering makes it relatively easy to dislodge the hairfrom the comb once it is exposed to the suction. The angle of bend inthe fingers as shown in this embodiment is about 30°. Further, duringnormal operation of the machine, the combs are in contact with theassembly pieces 25 at the points marked 25a so that the tips of the combfingers pass through the animal hair at an angle of about 15° to a linenormal to the instantaneous direction of travel of the comb.

The metal shelf plates serve the function of helping to prevent thehairs from jamming in the fingers of the comb. The spaced relationbetween the fingers and the shelf plates defines the positioning of thecombed hairs in that following collection they are looped over thefingers of the combs, lodging on the bend therein, and lying looselyacross the shelf plate. This non-jamming collection arrangement iscritical to the provision for the easy removal of the collected hairfrom the comb fingers by the action of the suction means. Also, theshelf plates cause increased velocity of air past the combs since theyrestrict the cross sectional area of the air path, and confine the airflow to that part of the combs beyond the bend.

Also for the reason of increasing the velocity of the air past thecombs, the housing itself is shaped to provide an air flow path ofrelatively small cross-section.

It should also be noted that the opening at the front 31 of the housingis narrower than the distance between the rotating side plates toprevent hair fibres entering the gap between the rotating side platesand stationary sides of the housing (not shown). In this way long coarsehairs are prevented from wrapping around the shaft supporting therotating hub. Also, the relatively large surface area of housing aroundthe front opening 31 prevents the operator from pushing the apparatustoo deeply into the animal's coat (if a face plate is not being used)which, despite the negative rake on the comb teeth, may result in thejamming of the combs in the coat and possible injury to the animal.

I claim:
 1. An apparatus for the removal of hair from an animalcomprising driven comb means for collecting the hair and a housing forthe comb means and within which the comb means is arranged to be driven,the housing having an inlet which exposes the comb means so that it canbe moved through the hair of the animal, an outlet for the discharge ofhair collected from the animal and means permitting connection of theoutlet to a suction means so that when in use the suction means createsan air flow which is applied to the collected hair to facilitate itsremoval from the comb means; the comb means comprising at least one combwhich in turn comprises a comb spine to which is attached a plurality offingers which are each tapered convergently towards tips thereof, eachfinger being bent part way along its length such that in use the tip ofeach finger is inclined in the direction of travel of the comb throughthe hair of the animal, characterised in that the or each said comb ismounted on a rotatable hub member in such a way that the or each comb issubstantially freely pivotally displacable through an arc of movementfor all rotary positions of the hub member, the suction means beingarranged to cause a flow of air past the or each said comb after it hasbeen moved through the hair of the animal to remove therefrom any haircollected by it.
 2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the combmeans comprises two said combs and wherein circular side plates aresecured to the rotatable hub member in a spaced apart parallel coaxialrelation and disposed in planes normal to the axis of rotation of thehub and on either side of the combs, and wherein assembly pieces arearranged to extend around the rotatable hub and are secured theretobetween respective combs.
 3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 in whichsaid combs are each attached to a shelf plate which is in turn pivotallymounted to the side plates at points adjacent the rotatable hub, theaxis of rotation of each shelf plate about its respective pivotalmounting being substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of thehub.
 4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 in which the spines of thecombs are pivotally mounted to the side plates at points adjacent therotatable hub, and shelf plates are attached to the combs.
 5. Anapparatus as claimed in claim 2 in which the spines of the combs arepivotally mounted to the rotatable hub and shelf plates are attached tothe combs.
 6. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5 inwhich the apparatus housing is arranged to totally enclose the rotatablehub and the combs, shelf plates and side plates associated therewith,except for an opening in the front of the housing and a manifold for theconnection of said suction means, said housing and said shelf platesbeing arranged to provide a reduced cross section air path for the flowof air past each comb generated by the suction means to remove the hairtherefrom.
 7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which an adjustableface plate is secured to the apparatus housing to allow control of thedepth of penetration of the comb means into the animal's coat.
 8. Anapparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the comb means is driven by anelectric motor or the like located on the apparatus.
 9. An apparatus asclaimed in claim 1 in which the suction means is a suction device suchas a vacuum cleaner arranged to provide the required suction to causethe flow of air past the comb means for the removal therefrom of thecollected hair.
 10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the combmeans is driven by an electric motor the power from which is transmittedto the apparatus via a flexible drive connection.
 11. An apparatus forthe removal of hair from an animal comprising driven comb means forcollecting the hair and a housing for the comb means and within whichthe comb means is arranged to be driven, the housing having an inletwhich exposes the comb means so that it can be moved through the hair ofthe animal, an outlet for the discharge of hair collected from theanimal, and means permitting connection of the outlet to a suction meansso that when in use the suction means creates an air flow which isapplied to the collected hair to facilitate its removal from the combmeans; characterised in that the comb means comprises at least one combin turn comprising a spine and a plurality of comb fingers, the comb orcombs being mounted on means to impart continuous closed-loop rotarymovement of the comb or combs about an axis, the spine of the or eachcomb being located generally parallel to the axis of the movement, thesuction means being arranged to cause a flow of air past the or eachsaid comb after it has been moved through the hair of the animal toremove therefrom any hair collected thereon.
 12. An apparatus as claimedin claim 11, in which the comb fingers are each tapered convergentlytowards tips thereof, and each finger is bent part way along its lengthsuch that in use the tips of each finger is inclined in the direction oftravel of the comb through the hair of the animal.
 13. An apparatus asclaimed in claim 11 wherein the means to provide continuous closed-looprotary movement of the combs about an axis comprises a rotatable hubmember to which the combs are fixed.